There can only be One
by Dem0nLight
Summary: Robin was not always alone: he lived with his mother and his sister, constantly moving for fear of his father. But when his mother dies, Robin(M!Avatar) and Raven (F!Avatar) are left on their own.
1. A life Ended

Ashira's shallow breathing filled the silence that permeated her small room. She looked up at the concerned faces of her silver-haired twins, knowing that it was time they knew.

"Robin," she whispered, "Raven. I'm not going to recover from this fever. You probably knew that already, what with you being so smart. But before I die, I need to tell you something."

"What is it mother?" her son, Robin, asked. His sister, Raven, leaned in as well, desperate to hear her mother's guidance for perhaps the last time.

"Do you know why we moved so much?" Ashira asked. Her children nodded in unison.

"Our father is after us," Raven stated firmly, as if reciting on command. "due to reasons we were never allowed to know before due to both our youth and that knowing might be worse than remaining in ignorance."

"You both make me so proud," the frail woman whispered. "I did not want to tell you when I laid upon my deathbed, but this is the hand I have been dealt. Sit, please. The tale is long, and I have but little time left. I will tell you what you must know to survive without me."

Her children sat on either side of her, Robin taking her left hand while Raven took her right. Ashira considered the words before beginning her story.

"You know I was born a Plegian, but what you do not know is that I was born Grimeal." The twins gasped at this revelation, yet they did not let their attention waver, nor did they interrupt. "I was not a true believer, but I did not turn away from my family's faith. When I was seventeen, I met your father. He was handsome and perhaps the strongest dark mage in nearly a century. I loved him, and for a time, he loved me too. And then you were born."

Her dark eyes filled with tears as she recalled the moment that had changed everything.

"Your father is Fellblood, and that is why your hands are marked with the Eyes of Grima. I did not know until you were born. Your father said that you were the perfect vessels for his 'Lord' Grima. I was dismayed when I discovered that he planned to awaken the Fell Dragon using one of you as a sacrifice to his dark god. I could not let that happen, so I stole the two of you away."

Ashira coughed weakly as Robin glanced at first his sister, then his mother. Raven squeezed her mother's hand in a comforting gesture.

"What is the name of our father?" Robin dared ask. Ashira's already tear-filled eyes spilled over as she whispered her husband's name-a name she had vowed never to speak again.

"Validar."

"Leader of the Grimeal," Raven murmured. Their mother watched her children-her beautiful, perfect, intelligent twins. She did not want to leave them, yet it was her time. She had used her life to set their stage, and now it was time for them to perform.

"I love both of you," she managed to say, through her coughs and tears. "Let me teach you one last tactics lesson-the one I can only see now as I prepare to enter the next life: Sometimes a person-no matter how much you love them-can't see past the end of their own nose. Do not let your feelings rule you when making decisions. One life is not worth as much as the world."

The last thing Ashira saw were the faces of her beloved children, for whom she had given blood, sweat, and tears. They were her everything. Grima could not be allowed to taint them.

"I love you," she whispered for the final time. "I love you both so much."

* * *

A/N: This story was based on my frustrations that came with playing the demo version of Fire Emblem: Awakening, where you could only be the default male avatar. In this story, Robin is the default male avatar, Raven is the default female avatar. They are twins, but since the game only allows you to pick one or the other...stuff happens.

(I can't say what, because that would ruin future chapters. Enjoy! :D)


	2. A Terrible Night

The next day, the twins buried their mother, taking her body out of town and into a flowering meadow. It was a long, depressing job: taking turns shoveling dirt and carving an epitaph into a flat rock until well into the afternoon. When the grave was finished, the pair stood alone in the bright orange light of sunset.

Robin looked over at his sister, who was very determinedly not allowing tears to escape. They were both covered in dirt and sweat from their efforts, with nothing to show for it except a pile of freshly turned earth and an engraved stone reading: Ashira. A Brave Mother.

"What do we do now?" Robin asked, staring at the grave, battling his emotions. Raven brushed back her silver hair, looking up at the rapidly darkening sky.

"We do what we've always done. We keep moving and don't look back."

Robin nodded and turned his back on his mother's grave, walking back into town. Raven followed, but only after picking a flower to lay on her mother's resting place.

* * *

Two months later, the twins were in Ylisse, stalking a pack of thieves. The townspeople had asked the pair to ride the countryside of the dangerous robbers, and the sibling had readily agreed. After so long, they could use their fighting skills and tactics for the good of someone else.

Two pairs of dark eyes peered at the thief encampment, measuring the chances of multiple attack plans. In the middle of this contemplation, something flashed bright across the sky, like a flash of lightning. Robin and Raven stared at the sky, both stunned beyond words. Then Raven's sharp eyes spotted something falling, leaving a dusky purple tail, like a comet. She pointed it out to her brother, who nodded in acknowledgement.

The twosome watched at the object slowed it's fall and vanished into the darkness of the night. Robin tugged on Raven's cloak and pointed down at the camp.

Standing in the midst of armed thieves stood a figure wrapped in a cloak. The distance and dark worked to the twins disadvantage, rendering the figure all but invisible. A few words were exchanged, then the crowd of thieves and assassins reached for their weapons. The cloaked figure raised their arm.

The subsequent flash of light blinded both young tacticians, who covered their eyes too late. Then the light was gone, as fast as it had come. Robin blinked black spots from his vision and gasped.

The camp was in flames, every person that had been in camp laying dead. The hooded figure kicked at one of the fallen bodies, their whole form shaking.

"The power of that spell..."Robin whispered. "There's no one left alive..."

"He's _laughing_?" Raven whispered, appalled. she reached out and seized her twin's hand and dragged him away. "Please Robin, let's go. I want to stay away from him."

"What if it's him?" Robin wondered. "Validar. That was dark magic, most definitely. And mother said that Validar was leader of the Grimeal."

"All the more reason to avoid him," Raven insisted, tossing her silver hair over her shoulder. "Please Robin. I don't want to stay here. I'm scared."

It was the last two words that decided for him: if Raven was scared, then it was his job to protect her. He _was_ the older twin, after all. Turning away from the flames of obliterated tents, the two vanished into the dark, one wanting to stay and learn more, the other desperate to forget the terrible events that had transpired.


	3. Crossroads

Validar knelt in prayer at the Dragon's Table, imploring the Fell Dragon's guidance. For years he had searched for his faithless wife and children to no avail. No matter what depraved corner of the world he travelled to, he found nothing but rumors of the threesome.

It was so frustrating! Why couldn't the woman understand how Grima's resurrection would be an event to celebrate, not to fear? His children were fellblood: it was their destiny to give themselves up to Grima, body and soul.

As he implored the Fell Dragon for help, he felt a shift in the world occur. Standing, he looked at the altar where he'd fallen to his knees.

Something powerful had happened; he could sense it. Someone had called upon the dark magic that only the Fell Dragon could grant. Only the most powerful of sorcerers could channel Grima's energy unless they were fellblood. And like all magic, it left a trace.

Perhaps fate smiled upon him now. Perhaps it was time for him to bring his Master back at long last.

* * *

It was late at night, and Raven was having trouble sleeping. The fire had burned down to embers hours ago and her eyes were heavy, yet she refused to close them. For the young tactician knew that the moment her lids shut, the image of the burning bandit camp would return.

Even worse than the terrible deaths was her brother's reaction; Robin did not feel the same horror she did, but rather a strange sort of awe. The dark power intrigued him in a way that Raven did not understand. It was just like when they had travelled through Plegia: Robin wanted to see every one of Grima's temples, fascinated by the Grimeal and their apocalyptic beliefs.

As Raven thought of him, she did not realize that her brother was in fact awake. He too was thinking of his sibling, but not with the same concern.

Being on the move, Robin had taken charge-setting up camp, getting dinner, feeding the fire when it became dark, and deciding where to go next. Raven wanted to go further into Ylisse, hoping that the distance from their birth country would keep any Grimeal from noticing them. Robin had not complained, but he wanted to return to Plegia. Having spent nearly seventeen years travelling the world, he wanted to return to the place he'd been born.

He tried to convince himself that his motivations were nostalgic, but deep down, Robin knew it was a lie; he wanted to find out more about the awesome power that had been displayed at the bandit camp. If anyone knew dark magic, it was the Plegian dark mages. They could teach him about the dark magic he'd seen, maybe even help him harness the power of Grima inside him...

Raven sighed aloud, causing Robin to freeze his thoughts. She stood and walked away from the small camp, wanting solitude to think properly. Robin sat up after she was gone and threw another stick into the fire pit.

"Be honest with yourself, Robin," he murmured. "You want to meet your father."

Validar would know about the dark power-he was the Grimeal leader-but he also might take charge and relieve Robin of having to make every choice, be the one in control. And-perhaps-being with his father would help ease the ache in his chest-an ache that hadn't left him since his mother's death. Sighing, Robin laid on the grass, watching the countless stars.

Raven came back into camp and laid back down, still confused and worried. How could she help her brother see that what he wanted was wrong? Evil? Raven was convinced that they would be on the run for the rest of their lives, never to rest again. Not while Validar lived and sought them.

The twin silver-haired tacticians did not sleep well that night, wild and chaotic dreams plaguing them and causing them to wake many times. The next morning, the camp was cleared and the pair continued their endless wandering.


	4. A time to choose

"If we cut through this wood, we can reach Ylisstol by the end of the week," Raven pointed out, drawing her finger across the map spread across the table between her and her brother. Robin nodded, keeping one eye on the other people milling about the poorly lit room.

The pair of tacticians had stopped for the night at a crowded inn, hoping to avoid any attention that two young people travelling together at night would bring. Both would have preferred to keep moving, but their provisions were running out, as was their gold. Thank the gods that they had found this village.

"Why are we going to Ylisstol again?" Robin asked. Raven had made the decision herself, ignoring his protests and arguments with a firmly resolved mentality. For days they had continued their travels to the Ylissean capital, but Robin had gotten no answer from his sister. She had pretended not to hear him, just as she did now. Robin sighed.

"If we cut through the woods, we may get lost and end up farther from the capital than we intend," he pointed out, circling the marked forest. "The trees don't end for miles and stretch all across the center of Ylisse."

"We'll deal with that when we get there," Raven insisted. "For now, let's just rest; we'll need our strength."

Robin turned away from his sister, watching the inn's other guests talk among themselves. Tomorrow would bring nothing but more travels. Travels that could not distract him from the overwhelming loneliness he'd experienced since his mother's death.

* * *

Raven looked at the endless fields, keeping her gaze away from her brother. She worried a bit at the quantity of supplies they had procured from the local merchants-hardly enough to last a week-but did not dwell upon it, focusing on her every step as her strides took her farther from the Plegian border.

"Raven?"

She turned to look at her brother, not letting her thoughts show on her face. He did not meet her eyes at first, scanning the horizon intently.

"Do you get that sense? Like we're being watched?"

Raven was a little startled, but searched the surrounding landscape for hiding places in which someone could remain unseen. A she did so, she realized that part of her distraction had in fact been due to the sense of an unseen pair of eyes.

"I do," she answered. "To arms?"

Robin drew his bronze sword as his answer. Raven readied her thunder tome. The twins stood back-to-back, keeping their eyes open for any sign of their mysterious observer. A cold laugh surrounded the field, chilling both Robin and Raven to their bones.

"I am impressed," a dark voice whispered, so quiet and cold that the siblings could not tell whether it was male or female. "Humans are not usually so perceptive. Then again, you do have the proper blood."

"Show yourself!" the tacticians cried as one. The cold laugh sounded again, and the air to their left wavered. From the distortion walked the cloaked figure who had attacked the bandit camp so many days before.

"Greetings, children of Validar," the cloaked man-or woman-hissed. "So kind of you to come and decide your destiny."

"Who are you?" Raven demanded. Again, the cold laugh.

"I am one of you. Which one, however, is for you to decide."

Neither of the twins knew how to answer. Dark smoke began to rise off the stranger's cloak, curling around each of the siblings. When touched with the energy, they knew it was the same dark power that had obliterated the bandit camp. Raven cried out to her brother as her vision faded into darkness.

"Now we are alone."

The voice was no longer genderless, instead sounding like a twisted rendition of her own. Raven could not see a thing, and almost gave into panic.

"Don't be afraid. Robin would not be afraid, would he? No, he wouldn't. He thinks he is stronger than you."

"Lies!" Raven cried. "You speak nothing but lies! Send me back!"

"Oh no, I'm afraid I can't do that," her darkened voice purred. "We are at a crucial point. There can only be one host to the fell dragon. Now is the time for you to choose. Will you live or die?"


	5. The Devil's Voice

Robin was scared. Despite years of experience, and vast amounts of knowledge at his discretion, he was afraid. No matter how bad anything had become, how close to death he'd come, he'd always had Raven at his side, ready to support him, without fail.

Now he was alone. Alone with the devil himself.

"Come now Robin," the voice whispered in the dark, chilling him to the bone. "You know I am part of you; I always have been and will be until your dying day. I _know_ you. You want to know about the dark power that runs within you. You want to _understand_. Listen to me, and you will know everything you wish."

_The devil will tell a thousand truths to sell one lie_, Robin thought. Every word the voice spoke rang true to his ears. Robin found himself agreeing with the words spoken, for they were nothing but the truths. That did not stop the overpowering feeling that the voice belonged to a creature of unspeakable evil, simply cloaked in the shape of a human being. Robin could not afford to listen.

"I understand your confusion," the voice hissed. "You don't want to betray your sister. A noble intention, but a foolish one, for she has already turned against you."

"Raven would never do that to me!" Robin cried. "She's my sister! My friend!"

"She held you back. She denied your desires to learn about the power of Grima. She fears that you will be more powerful than her of you learn how to use your true power. Raven betrayed you when she drove you further into Ylisse, Naga's territory. _She_ is the evil one, the cruel manipulator."

Robin tried not to listen, but the words pierced his very core: Raven had never let him learn of Grima, or his followers, the Grimeal. She _had_ held him back. Rage coursed through his body, and he curled his hands into fists.

He should teach her a lesson. Yes, Raven would learn to respect him and the power of Grima that he would wield. He was the older twin, the leader.

The darkness faded from his vision, and he was back in the real world. Trembling with anger at her unjust treatment of him, Robin turned his bronze sword so that the razor edge pointed at his twin sister.

Raven would pay for holding him down.

* * *

"I will never be the host for Grima!" Raven cried. A twisted version of her own laugh echoed around her.

"It seems that you will not have to," her darkened voice answered. "Even as you resist, your dear brother takes up arms against you."

"He would never do that!"

"Then see for yourself."

The darkness faded a moment, temporarily replaced by the image of the green field where Raven knew she still stood. As promised, Robin faced her with his weapon drawn. His eyes gleamed red, with a hatred that did not belong. When the black smoke returned, Raven was shaking her head in disbelief.

"Robin would never do that," she repeated, sounding much less sure. "I'm his little sister. He loves me."

"Perhaps once," the voice whispered. "Not anymore. His love for you died with your mother. He has given himself completely to the fell dragon, to the darkness that runs through his veins. He will kill you, for he is not the boy you grew up with anymore. He is as wicked as your father."

"But you have the same darkness," Raven murmured, more to herself than to the voice. "Why do you not tempt me to take your power? Isn't that what you want?"

"I am _you_. I want what you want. Your poor brother has lost his way. It would be a mercy to destroy him, for he is incapable of redemption now."

Deep down, Raven knew the voice was only trying to turn her against Robin, to force them to fight. Yet despite knowing that, Raven found herself taking heed to the words of her dark voice: it lived within her. It knew her better than anyone else. If she couldn't trust herself, then who could she trust?

_Mother told me that one person is not worth the world_, Raven thought. _Did she know this day would come? Did she forsee Robin turning on me?_

"I don't want to kill him," Raven said aloud.

"If you don't, then he shall do so to you. Will you be the weak one and die under his possessed hand? Or will you be strong and save the world from the fell dragon your brother will surely become? It is your choice, for there can only be one."

The voice had wormed it's way into her mind, saying exactly what she needed to bolster her nerve. The darkness faded and Raven readied her grip on her thunder tome. Her vision was tinted red, perhaps from the anger she summoned to assist in battle.

Robin would be put down for giving into the darkness, for abandoning her.

* * *

A/N: So the next two chapters will be "what if" chapters. First, Robin will win and we can see his reaction to killing his twin, and then it will be Raven's turn. Both tacticians will eventually reach their in-game starting position and Raven will start calling herself Robin.


End file.
